UN Security Council Unanimously Endorses Agreement Between the United States and the Taliban

The Security Council of the United Nations (UN) approved, Tuesday, March 10, unanimously, an American resolution endorsing the February 29 agreement between the United States and the Afghan Taliban. A rare approval in this enclosure being an agreement between a foreign country and a guerrilla.

The UN decision is also surprising in that the Security Council approved an agreement with two secret counterterrorism annexes that its members did not have access to. Diplomats said it could set a precedent for other countries and also jeopardize the Council’s credibility if the deal was not respected by the Taliban.

The dubbed agreement provides for a US military withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for a promise by the Taliban to ban all acts of terrorism and to participate in negotiations with the Kabul government, with which they have so far refused to speak.

Severe institutional crisis

“The Security Council urges the Afghan government to advance the peace process, notably through participation in inter-Afghan negotiations, with a diverse and inclusive team of negotiators made up of political and civil society leaders, including women”, underlines the resolution negotiated for a week.

He also asks him to enter into negotiations with the Taliban to achieve “A permanent and complete cease-fire”. The February 29 agreement called for talks to begin on Tuesday, presumably in Oslo, Norway, but the deadline was missed. Especially due to the serious institutional crisis launched on Monday with the simultaneous nomination Head of State Ashraf Ghani and his main opponent Abdullah Abdullah, both of whom were sworn in as president.

The resolution welcomes “Favorably” the agreement of February 29 and asks “All states to give their full support to the negotiation of a comprehensive and lasting peace agreement that would end the war for the benefit of all Afghans”.

Release of Taliban prisoners

While the first version of the Washington text omitted to mention women, the adopted resolution speaks of it several times. The text thus underlines the“Importance [dans des négociations] effective and meaningful participation of women, young people and minorities ” and claims that “Any political settlement must protect the rights of all Afghans, including women, youth and minorities”.

The Security Council finally says “Ready at the start of the inter-Afghan negotiations to review the sanctions” imposed by the UN on individuals or groups since 2011 “To support the peace process”.

For its part, the Afghan government has announced that it will gradually release 5,000 Taliban prisoners in exchange for an improvement. “Significant” of the security situation in the country.

“The grace and release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners (…) will begin [samedi], and every day around 100 prisoners will be released “Sediq Sediqqi, spokesperson for President Ashraf Ghani, said on Twitter on Tuesday. When discussions between Kabul and the insurgents on the future of the country begin, “Five hundred Taliban prisoners will be released every two weeks [trois mille cinq cents prisonniers au total], provided that the violence decreases significantly “, he continued.

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